Agfa Optima 200 sensor |
Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1969 to 1972.
Index of rarity in France: Frequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 12316
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Agfa
Originally, in the 1930s, Agfa used the name Optima to designate a film in a particular format. Each negative measured 7.5 x 10.5 cm, the film allowing for 8 exposures, and only compatible Agfa cameras could use it. It was a failure.
The name was reused from the late 1950s for cameras using the standard 135 film. The cameras in this series are very solidly built and have an integrated light meter. This series lasted for a decade, but by the end of the 1960s, it was time to present some innovations.
The main one was a new shutter release button, the Sensor!
In this series, exposure is always automatic. It was replaced from the second half of the 1970s by more compact cameras still using the same shutter release button.
The Agfa Optima 200 Sensor was presented at Photo Expo 1969 in New York, along with the Silette LK Sensor and Optima 500 Sensor. The two Optima cameras resemble each other and share many technical characteristics. The main difference is the maximum shutter speed, which gives the camera its name. On the Optima 200, it tops out at 1/200.
During its lifetime, the Optima 200 underwent a small facelift. In 1973, plastic largely replaced metal. This second version can be recognized by its accessory shoe that is now integrated into the top cover.
The Sensor shutter release button consists of a 16 mm diameter orange-colored disc, set within a 0.7 mm high chrome-plated brass collar designed to guide the finger to the center. Below the disc is the button itself, with a very short travel (less than 0.5 mm). A pressure of 300 grams on the plastic disc is sufficient to trigger the shutter. The motion blur caused by the release is thus extremely limited. Agfa will gradually equip all new models with this trigger and make it their number one advertising feature.
The patent corresponding to this shutter release button was filed in Germany in 1968 (published in 1970) under the number DE 1622174, and then in the United States in 1972 (published in 1976) under the number US 3,950,773. The title of this patent is "Operating Means for Photographic Cameras."
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